Learn about the period Marcus Aurelius came from and see a collection of ancient coins having to do with him and more in this informative guide

Marcus Aurelius was from a time period of Roman history ruled by what is now named the Adoptive Emperors. From emperor Nerva on until Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperors adopted as their "son" the next succeeding emperor. This era was known for immense prosperity. However, Marcus Aurelius actually broke the customs of "adopting" able administrators and instead chose his son to succeed him. This caused some issued in history as his son was not as positive for the Roman empire as his father was. This time period has been popularized by the famous Hollywood film, the Gladiator, with Russell Crowe. The fact is that Commodus did fight in the arena, and it made for an interesting story in the film. Most people don't know that coins of Marcus Aurelius and other Roman emperors and empresses can be owned almost on any budget. This guide was designed to show the "adoptive" emperors up to Marcus Aurelius and ends with his son Commodus. This gives you a very great idea of what these ancient coins looked like and the types that were available.